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As of February 2026, the artificial intelligence industry has reached a critical inflection point characterized by a transition from speculative "story-driven" growth to a rigorous demand for realized earnings. This period, termed "AI Adulthood," marks a structural re-rating of the market. Investors are no longer rewarding massive capital expenditure (capex) on infrastructure alone; they are demanding clear, margin-accretive revenue and audited productivity gains.

The central theme of this shift is the "agentic pivot"—a move away from increasing model parameters toward developing autonomous systems capable of executing end-to-end business workflows. While major Western tech entities face valuation pressure and heightened scrutiny, geopolitical actors and sovereign wealth funds continue to invest in long-term digital sovereignty, potentially shifting the global center of gravity for AI infrastructure.